


Tacos: #19

by Ignisentis



Series: 32 Ways To Say I Love You [19]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky discovers spices, Idiots in Love, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, soft and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22518727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignisentis/pseuds/Ignisentis
Summary: Bucky tries tacos for the first time and falls in love.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: 32 Ways To Say I Love You [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602352
Comments: 17
Kudos: 167





	Tacos: #19

**Author's Note:**

> This one is for [paperstorm](http://paper-storm.tumblr.com) who wanted to see Bucky experience the joy of delicious, flavorful, not boiled-to-death food. I hope you enjoy, my dear!

_ “Pardon the interruption,” _ Jarvis intones from the ceiling,  _ “but sir has asked me to inform you both that this evening is ‘Taco Tuesday’ on the common floor, and he’s requested that everyone join for a team dinner at 6:30.” _

“Thanks, Jarvis,” Steve answers as he trails his hand up and down Bucky’s back. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he says to Bucky, who’s currently sprawled out on top of Steve, the two of them smushed together on the couch as a baking show plays in the background. Bucky had tensed up when Jarvis started talking, and he hasn’t loosened back up yet.

“No,” Bucky croaks. Today started out badly for Bucky, and he hasn’t talked much, so Steve doesn’t expect Bucky to come tonight. “I want to try.”

“Yeah?” Steve asks, a little surprised but pleased. “Okay, we’ll try. Jarvis,” Steve calls out, “please let Tony know Bucky and I will be there.” It’s been less than a month since Bucky moved in with Steve in the Tower, and so far the contact he’s had with the rest of the team has been pretty minimal. Steve didn’t think a group dinner would be the way Bucky would decide to dip his toe into the proverbial waters, but he’s looking forward to seeing how it goes.

_ “Very good, Captain Rogers.” _

Steve sighs as Bucky snorts in amusement. No matter how many times he’s told Jarvis to call him Steve, it never takes. He suspects Tony has some sort of override in place when it comes to his name. Or maybe he just hasn’t given the team permission to change how Jarvis addresses them. He’ll have to ask sometime. It doesn’t bother him too much, especially since Bucky seems to get a kick out of it, but he’d rather be just Steve as often as he can.

“We have a few hours before dinner,” Steve says, rubbing his hand on Bucky’s back. “Is there anything you need to do before then or is this okay?”

“This,” Bucky says, snuggling further into Steve as he finally relaxes. Steve smiles into Bucky’s hair and doesn’t even bother pretending he’s paying attention to the television.

~~~

Bucky’s quiet on the elevator ride to the common floor, and he’s quiet when they walk in. He’s sort of plastered to Steve’s side much of the evening, and the rest of the team do a really good job of including Bucky without making him feel he has to participate. Steve feels him loosen up a bit after a little while, and he even starts smiling and huffing out little chuckles at some of Tony’s antics or Sam’s jokes or Thor’s stories.

It’s nice. More than nice. Steve’s having a really good time.

Then the food comes, a massive spread of tacos from a Mexican restaurant nearby that Tony really likes, and there are all sorts of different kinds, from more American style to traditional Mexican style. Steve watches as Bucky frowns a little before he grabs a plate and puts one of each kind on it. Which is like eight tacos and more than Bucky usually eats at a time even though he needs almost as many calories as Steve does. He tries not to stare at Bucky as the man eats, but Steve’s just so proud of him right now that he can’t seem to drag his eyes away.

Bucky takes a bite of his first taco, and his eyes go wider and wider as he chews. “Oh,” he says, looking to Steve after he swallows the first bite. “Steve...the flavors!”

Steve smiles at him as he raises the taco to his mouth again. Steve remembers what it was like when he got out of the ice and realized just how different food was now. Or, well, food had always been like that to the people who ate those cuisines, but  _ Steve _ never had access to most of the dishes before. There were just so many more spices and sauces and flavors and textures, and food was fun now, and so readily available, and when you have money, you get to just try anything you want without having to worry about it you don’t like it. Because you won’t go hungry if you don’t.

Steve and Bucky had been sticking to hearty but fairly plain fare for the last month as Bucky got more used to eating real food instead of whatever protein crap Hydra had been giving him, and maybe, Steve thinks, they should have started branching out sooner. Because Bucky looks enraptured.

Steve watches as Bucky eats each taco like it’s a religious experience, and he can’t stop smiling at him. He’s so happy Bucky decided to come tonight: it’s the best night they’ve had in a month.

“What’s this green stuff?” Bucky asks, holding out the taco he’s eating so Steve can see what he’s referencing. 

“Cilantro,” Steve replies. “That taco is my favorite,” Steve tells Bucky. It’s marinated shredded beef topped with chopped raw onions, cilantro, and fresh white cheese, two warm corn tortillas holding it all together. 

“Cilantro,” Bucky whispers reverently.

“Yeah. Some people apparently think it tastes like soap, but I love it.”

“Me too,” Bucky says around a mouthful of taco.

Bucky ends up eating four more before he’s completely stuffed, leaning back in his chair with a look of contentment on his face that Steve’s never seen before. It looks so good on him that Steve vows to himself to make it happen as often as possible.

~~~

“Hey,” Steve says over breakfast the next day, “since you liked the tacos so much, I thought we could spend a few weeks trying new foods? New York has basically every kind of ethnic food you could want, and I remember how much I loved trying new food when I woke up.”

Bucky lights up over his bowl of Lucky Charms. “Yeah, I want to do that.”

“Anything in particular you’re interested in?”

Bucky shakes his head. “I don’t even know my options, so…”

“Right. Uh, well, should we do some research, find some places nearby to start, have Jarvis pull up the menus, and see what we can have delivered?”

“Yes. Let’s absolutely do that.” Bucky smiles at Steve, wide and true, and Steve’s heart flips around in his chest. 

“All right,” Steve smiles back. “This is gonna be fun.”

They try Indian, sushi, Korean, Ethiopian. Italian, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Thai: everything the city has to offer, they order.

Every Tuesday, though, Bucky asks for tacos. Steve tells Jarvis to order tacos from a new restaurant every week, and they start making lists of their favorite tacos and the ones that aren’t so good. Steve thinks it will take a year or more to eat tacos from every place in the city that sells them.

“I think…” Bucky starts a few weeks later while they’re lazing in bed, full of some truly incredible Pho, “I think I want to start cooking some of these dishes myself.”

“Yeah?” Steve asks.

“Yeah.”

“You want me to have Jarvis —”

“Actually,” Bucky interrupts, “if you don’t mind, I want to do it myself.” Bucky starts working the sheets between his fingers like he’s nervous, and he won’t meet Steve’s eyes.

“Hey,” Steve says gently, which makes Bucky look over at him. “I think that’s a great idea. You do whatever it is you want to do to learn how to cook your favorite new foods, and I’ll listen if you want to tell me. But you don’t have to tell me, okay? I’m proud of you, doing this for yourself because it’s something  _ you _ want.”

Bucky tilts his head away again and stares up at the ceiling, but Steve can still see the smile splitting his face.

“Tacos on Tuesday still, though, right?”

“Duh, Steve.”

Steve smiles and pinches Bucky’s waist. “Smartass,” he says fondly as Bucky yips.


End file.
